The visit OE a SILVERSMITHi ANB 
ITS RESULTS. 
“ How mucli are you going to settle ; as if love is only a 
secondary consideration. Who originated this abnormal 
state of matters? Not the lovers. They, if young, are 
probably quite willing to “marry for love and work 
for siller,” but that won’t be allowed by the old folks, 
many of whom, if they would confess it, would say, 
“ Marry for siller and never mind love, so long as you 
don’t exactly hate each other .” Just the very same 
principle inspired the Tamil lady in her rude way, 
to say, ‘‘The silver first, and then the kiss.” We can 
manage without the love, and not without the silver, 
and a pretty disgraceful sort of management it 
generally turns out, if all was known, but they keep 
it quiet for decency’s sake and pretend to be extremely 
happy before people j not a word can be uttered by 
either of them, without “my dear” being prefixed. 
When the silversmith arrived on the estate, he was 
located in the very best room : a man of his great 
importance could not be expected to put up with any 
mean accommodation. Just directly in front of his room, 
in the verandah, his forge was put up, a very simple 
affair. A hole was dug in the ground as a receptacle 
for the charcoal fire, over which the small ladle that 
contained the precious metal was put, a small anvil 
stood on the ground giving forth at regular intervals 
a ting, ting, tinkling sound as the small hammer 
resounded upon it as the metal was beat out. A short 
piece of bamboo lay at his side, to be used when 
required as a bellows, and the ting, ting, tinkling 
that proceeded from the forge of the silversmith, adds 
another to the numerous incidents in our life, never 
to be forgotten on account of the many recollections 
entailed by it. The front verandah where he worked 
was generally a study worth looking. For it was very 
unlikely that the women would trust him to melt 
down their rupees without watching him ; what if he 
should appropriate any of the valuable molten metal 
for his own private use and benefit, what, if they 
gave him twenty rupees to conver^ into an ornament, 
and he only melted down a portion of the sum and 
kept the rest ! and so they must all sit and watch every 
turn of the hand and knock of the hammer, It need 
hardly be said, that this was the place for gossip 
and news^ for did not the silversmith tell all the news 
picked up during his visits to the various estates, in 
the exercise of his calling. He told them of all the 
women for whom he had made ornaments, of all the 
masters who were generous and liberal in advancing 
rupees, and of those who were mean and stingy. He 
even told of certain masters, but this was a secret, 
who supplied him secretly with rupees in order to 
